Kate Upton: ‘I don’t want to starve myself’

Kate Upton's already reached the height of success for swimsuit modeling, gracing the cover of this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. And she's determined that her next career move will be taking the rest of the fashion world by storm! In a new interview with Vogue, Upton reveals that she's quickly learning just what it will take to follow in the footsteps of the mega-successful supermodels who've gone before her. "Coming from a sports-fanatic family, I really didn't know a lot about the small fashion circles," Upton tells the fashion bible. "When I was able to accomplish [SI], I slowly started figuring things out — and when I have a goal, I do everything to accomplish it."

Make that almost anything. The rising star insists that one thing she refuses to do is become stick-thin like most other models. If you can believe it, Upton is considered "curvy" in an industry known for its waifs. "I don't want to starve myself," Upton shares. "I still want to hang out with my family and be a normal girl. You have to be confident, and that doesn't mean starving yourself." Instead, Upton works hard to eat, exercise, and sleep the right amount. And she tries not to be too hard on herself when fashions don't fit. "I'm sure every girl can relate," she says. "You go shopping and you're not the same size in every brand — some look good on you and others don't."

While she didn't set out to be a role model, the Michigan-born, Florida-raised Upton says she's more than OK with the fact that's she become one. "When I lived in Florida, the swimsuit was the key wardrobe piece. I lived 10 minutes from the beach, but I never sat there and said, 'I want to be every man's fantasy,'" she notes. "It wasn't a big deal to be in a bathing suit. Now, whenever girls come up to me saying they're happy to see I am confident about my body, it makes me feel good that I am contributing in a way among people my age, people who could be my friends." Upton is also proud to represent women with a somewhat more realistic body type than the models we're used to seeing. "I think it's important to look at magazines and think a healthy lifestyle is attainable," she says. "Now that the fashion industry likes the idea of me, I'm happy if I can have an influence."